The second semester was quite busy and intense.
During weekdays, there were the professors’ constant monitoring. The difficulty level in the practical training suddenly increased by the professors.
On weekends, I completed requests with Hyeji, and there were small stories and gaps like the academy festival that passed by.
“What’s with that piece of shit? Why skip the festival!!”
[Maybe they don’t have background knowledge about the festival.]
“You idiot, probably had a meltdown at the festival and ended up drinking alone.”
[Is there really someone like that? Wouldn’t it be better to just die?]
– Fuck you, damn idiots.
Anyway, it was unexpectedly peaceful days.
However, abruptly, a trial came to me like an end stamp.
Yeah.
It was the trial of the final exam.
*
The final exam would be conducted by clearing a dungeon set by the academy with four members that each had to choose.
It was a cruel announcement from the professor, essentially saying, “Form a team of four close friends.”
“Gathering four friends isn’t easy, you bastard.”
[Isn’t that a PTSD-triggering word? Four close friends…]
“It’s probably the PTSD of that jerk-off.”
[He probably couldn’t even fill out a questionnaire for close friends.]
– Motherfuckers.
I coolly ignored the curses echoing from somewhere.
Instead, I focused on what Professor Park Mi-ran, who was supervising this final exam, was saying.
“Everyone, as mentioned before, the final exam will proceed in teams of four. Please form a group with four close friends, and those who cannot do so will be randomly assigned.”
“The content of the exam is simple. A team of four must clear the dungeon by any means necessary. One of our professors will accompany you for supervision. However, the professor will not take any actions. We are purely monitoring.”
Moreover, for the sake of immersion, we will only monitor via drones.”
Since there were few close friends anyway, we naturally formed a group of three: me, Hyeji, and Jeong Ahyeon.
While contemplating who to recruit as the last member, Professor Park Mi-ran approached our group and dropped a bombshell.
“Shinwoo, you cannot wear the Defensive Coat for this exam.”
“Why not?”
“It’s for fairness.”
“…But other students are wearing it.”
“That’s the other students. If you wear it, your exam will be invalidated.”
Suddenly, Professor Park Mi-ran pointed at me and scrutinized my equipment.
While several other students were flaunting their Defensive Coats, she chose to specifically call me out.
That was just unfair.
[You got snagged by the law of Kim Shinwoo you created.]
“Shit, this lonely virgin is acting up over this.”
[What are you going to do now?]
“Park Mi-ran, you won’t die nicely because of this.”
However, Professor Park Mi-ran’s restrictions didn’t stop there.
“Hyeji, in this final exam, your abilities will be restricted.”
“Give me a proper reason.”
Hyeji confronted her, holding a Soy Grenade in her hand like a well-prepared conversational weapon.
“Well… it’s because Hyeji’s combat abilities are a bit too high, for fairness…”
“Making everything turn to ash would be fair, right?”
Hyeji’s fingers pressed against the safety pin of the Soy Grenade, ready to ignite the final exam venue, responding with dead eyes.
Seeing this, Professor Park Mi-ran hastily said,
“In exchange, Hyeji will get a guaranteed perfect score for this exam! Please put the grenade down!”
“Is that all?”
“And you will have priority to select the last member of your team! So please spare me!”
In the end, Hyeji, who would serve as the main force of our group, was nerfed.
No implementation of firearms or various lethal weapons allowed.
Only one dagger and one sledgehammer could be utilized.
Then Jeong Ahyeon, with a hopeful look, asked Professor Park Mi-ran,
“Hmm, can I ask what restrictions will be placed on me?”
“Ah, you, Ahyeon? Do you really need to?”
“…….”
Ahyeon was thoroughly ignored.
Seeing her, I said,
“Hey, congratulations. You didn’t get any penalties.”
“……For some reason, it only makes my heart ache more.”
In this mess, Hyeji turned to me and Ahyeon and said,
“Who do you want to choose as the last member?”
“I don’t care who it is.”
“Shinwoo, do you want to decide?”
“Is it okay if I do?”
“Doesn’t matter.”
I had someone in mind.
That fucker.
I pointed, aiming precisely at my target.
“Come in, Kim Yuna.”
“Why me, you bastard!”
Kim Yuna.
The gold-digger who had been a pain to me last time.
Without a moment’s hesitation, I pointed her out.
Luck was on our side, as Kim Yuna was wandering around without being assigned to any group.
“If you keep screwing around, I’ll make sure lemonade production happens down there.”
“Hik!”
Kim Yuna trembled at the thought of the golden shower created by my previous ‘accidental’ throw of weapons towards her.
Just a little more, and it seemed like lemonade would come out again.
As Kim Yuna hesitated and approached us, Hyeji and Jeong Ahyeon quietly said to me,
“Shinwoo, why that girl? Adding another heroine? I’m the true heroine, you know?”
“That girl doesn’t even have plans for illustrations, so please don’t go berserk.”
“Master, I think she might actually be useless.”
Jeong Ahyeon was right.
She would be useless.
But I had to take her down.
Absolutely.
Once all the members were gathered, Kim Yuna suddenly started picking a fight with me.
“Why did you pick me? Did you fall for me? I’m not your type, so let go of the dream.”
“Please shut up, you bitch.”
“You bitch, if you try to steal the heroine’s spot, I’ll kill you.”
“Hik!!”
Hyeji seemed to have attempted to kill her.
Seeing Hyeji look like a demon, Kim Yuna activated the lemonade factory once again.
Before the lemonade on Kim Yuna’s skirt dried, our turn arrived.
Before entering the gate, we checked our gear.
Unlike before, I had nothing but a longsword.
A very lean situation, much like Hyeji’s chest that had nothing.
– Bang!
“……Hyeji, why are you suddenly shooting at me?”
“I felt like you made an impure description.”
Shit, that almost made lemonade come out again.
[That was dangerous.]
After Hyeji dispelled the weapon she had manifested, we attempted to enter the gate.
Just before stepping in, I bumped shoulders with Kim Yuna.
“What’s with the clinginess?”
“Ah, it smells, so get lost, you bitch.”
“Kim Yuna, are you flirting with Shinwoo, you bastard?”
“No, Hyeji!”
As Hyeji glared, Kim Yuna panicked and shook her head.
Leaving her in that state, we entered the gate.
Following us, Professor Park Mi-ran and a drone trailed behind.
Finally, in came Kim Yuna, who rushed in last.
And thus, the final exam began.
*
Damn you.
The moment Professor Park Mi-ran laid eyes on Kim Shinwoo, those feelings arose.
From her standpoint, dealing with many research students, the emergence of Kim Shinwoo was like a bolt from the blue.
Though the Kim Shinwoo law hadn’t reached a horror level yet, it was merely a matter of time.
“I won’t let you die peacefully.”
In fact, due to the appearance and speech of Director Jang In-hyuk last time, protesting became difficult for the professors.
While harboring resentment and hatred towards Director Jang In-hyuk, he was still a power player within the academy.
Since she couldn’t swing a knife at him, naturally, the blade would turn towards Kim Shinwoo, who was seen as relatively less daunting.
“Let’s see how fucked up this exam really is.”
While Kim Shinwoo’s team was busy chatting, she quietly manipulated the control panel.
She was changing the conditions of the dungeon which Kim Shinwoo’s group was going to take the exam in.
As difficult and filthy as possible.
To a level that they absolutely couldn’t clear.
As she manipulated the control panel, Professor Park Mi-ran gritted her teeth.
Due to the thought that suddenly popped up.
“How dare you put bugs in my pocket?”
Previously, she had told Kim Shinwoo to throw away the trash.
Then Kim Shinwoo obediently cleaned it up but casually tapped her on the shoulder while slipping two cockroaches wrapped in trash into her pocket.
It wasn’t until she returned home that she realized this fact, and she even lost one along the way.
As a result, every night she had to spend her days stressing over the sounds of tap-tap-tap coming from who-knows-where.
“If you love bugs that much, you’ll meet a lot, you fucker.”
A dungeon filled with Professor Park Mi-ran’s selfish ambitions was completed.
The number of entities was maximized, and without even considering the gimmicks, she carelessly chucked them in.
After all, the ones who would suffer were not Professor Park Mi-ran but Kim Shinwoo’s group.
Following behind Kim Shinwoo’s group, Professor Park Mi-ran began to wear a sinister grin.
With Hyeji nerfed, there was no longer anyone to protect Kim Shinwoo.
Though she felt apologetic for the last student, there was no other choice for sacrifice to take down Kim Shinwoo.
“Let’s show him what happens when you crawl up to a professor.”
With high expectations, Professor Park Mi-ran entered the gate.
Without knowing how the future would unfold.
